Educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary in New Zealand
New Zealand: Educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary was 51.8% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Latest (2020)
51.8%
World rank
13th
of 76 countries
All-time high
51.8%
in 2020
All-time low
31.5%
in 1981
Years of data
5
1981–2020
Educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary in New Zealand, 1981–2020
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary in New Zealand stood at 51.8%. That is the highest value across all 5 years on record.
That represents a change of up 8.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary in New Zealand peaked at 51.8% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 31.5%, in 1981.
New Zealand ranks 13th of 76 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
Educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 31.5% | — |
| 2001 | 35.6% | +13.1% |
| 2006 | 43.4% | +21.8% |
| 2012 | 47.6% | +9.9% |
| 2020 | 51.8% | +8.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 31.5% | 31.5% | 31.5% | 1 |
| 2000s | 39.5% | 35.6% | 43.4% | 2 |
| 2010s | 47.6% | 47.6% | 47.6% | 1 |
| 2020s | 51.8% | 51.8% | 51.8% | 1 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
- 10 Estonia 54.2% compare
- 11 Republic of Korea 52.9% compare
- 12 United States 52.1% compare
- 14 Iceland 51.2% compare
- 15 Luxembourg 50.9% compare
- 16 Norway 50.7% compare
More education data for New Zealand
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 2.77 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 22,505 (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 4,092 (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 151,526 (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 2 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 99,830 (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number) 3.98 % change on previous year (2024)
- Theoretical duration of primary education (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of pre-primary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (pre-primary to post-secondary non) 0.0494 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary in New Zealand?
- Educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary in New Zealand was 51.8% in 2020, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 51.8% in 2020.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 31.5% in 1981.
- How does New Zealand rank for educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary?
- New Zealand ranks 13th out of 76 countries with data for 2020.
- Is educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary education or higher, population 25+ years, urban, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 5 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release